Oakland Raiders

Playing after only four practices, Jeff George completed 17 of 24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the first half Thursday, sparking the Atlanta Falcons to a 27-6 exhibition rout of the Oakland Raiders. George signed a one-year, $3.6-million contract last week. He becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. George connected with Eric Metcalf on an 11-yard scoring and hit Tyrone Brown on a 48-yard scoring play.

NFL owners have ratified a deal to lift the player lockout but it's unclear what that means for a collective bargaining agreement or when free agency might begin. According to NFL Network, the vote was 31-0 with the Oakland Raiders choosing to abstain, as they often do. While owners have been meeting at an airport hotel in Atlanta, representatives for the players are in Washington working on their next move.

Take the list of coaching clients of a sports agent, and there's a good chance that it could be mapped like a family tree. At the top branches, successful coaches such as Pete Carroll, and below them, several of that person's current and former assistants usually follow. In Carroll's case, that includes Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Ed Orgeron and Sammy Knight. The tight setup meant that as Orgeron fought for a permanent coaching job at USC in November, his agent, Gary Uberstine, was also helping fellow client Sarkisian through the vetting process for the same gig. Similar situations arise a few times every year when an agent has multiple clients vying for a single coaching or playing position.

Former Oakland Raiders defensive lineman John Matuszak was pronounced dead Saturday night after he was rushed to a hospital for an undetermined ailment, officials said. "He came into the hospital, and he has expired," said Karen Marlin, a nursing supervisor at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The cause of death would be announced by the Los Angeles County coroner, she said. Ms. Marlin said additional information was being withheld, pending notification of family members.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo about Los Angeles to the league's 32 teams Friday -- one that surely resonated with the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and any others that might be considering relocation to the nation's second-largest market. "Although substantial uncertainties remain," Goodell wrote in the two-page document obtained by The Times, "stadium development in Los Angeles has advanced to the point where the prospects for a new facility are better than they have been in many years.

Larry Todd, a former wide receiver and running back for the Oakland Raiders, died recently of cancer in an Oakland hospital, it was announced. He was 50. Todd was recently diagnosed with myeloidosis, a form of cancer, and died Oct. 17. Todd was troubled by injuries during his six seasons with the Raiders from 1965 to 1970. One of his best games came during his rookie season when he rushed 20 times for 134 yards and one touchdown against the Houston Oilers.

Time marches on everywhere, except on the professional football fields of Los Angeles and Anaheim, where today it is the first day of May, 1994, and in 15 months, it will be . . . 1945? Fifty years ago, the local turf was as barren as can be when it came to pro football. No Rams; they still belonged to Cleveland. No Raiders; there were just a twinkle in Al Davis' eye. No Dons even; the old All-American Football Conference, of which the L.A.

Hewritt Dixon, the No. 8 rusher and No. 10 pass receiver in Raider history, died at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long fight with cancer, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday. He was 52. Dixon was selected in the eighth round of the American Football League draft in 1963 by the Denver Broncos. He spent three years at Denver, then was traded to the Oakland Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders plan to go with Billy Joe Hobert, but are cautiously optimistic that regular starter Jeff Hostetler might be healthy enough to be the backup Sunday against Pittsburgh. Hostetler, who has missed two straight starts and most of a third game with a strained muscle in his left shoulder, was able to throw the ball and worked with the scout team in practice Thursday. It is the first time he has done any significant throwing since he was knocked out of the Dallas game Nov. 19.